Series Preview: Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium
The Mets (40-36, 3rd place in the N.L. East) begin a 4-game set with the Dodgers (43-33, 1st place in the N.L. West) in Los Angeles tonight at 10:10 PM EDT.
The Dodgers have lost 8 of their last 9 games, and are coming off a sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants. This recent run of games dropped the Dodgers into a first place tie with the Giants, after L.A. had held a steady lead in the N.L. West for the first 3 months of the season.
The Mets followed their 4-game winning streak with a 4-game losing streak. They lost 2 in a row to the last-place Cubs before steamrolling them in game 3 of the series.
Dodgers Notes
- L.A. will be without superstar OF Matt Kemp (.355/.444/.719) for the series. Kemp is still nursing a strained left hamstring injury he suffered on May 30.
- OF Andre Ethier is also questionable for the series after he strained his oblique on Wednesday. Ethier recently signed a 5-year, $85 million contract extension. The Mets will be avoiding a lot of offensive production if both Kemp and Ethier (.291/.357/.491) miss the series.
- In this video, Steve Berthiaume and Jose Cruz, Jr. of ESPN discuss the Dodgers’ recent woes.
- Dodger Stadium, opened in 1962, is the third oldest ballpark in the majors. Only Wrigley Field (1914) and Fenway Park (1912) are older.
Mets Notes
- 2B Daniel Murphy hit his first 2 home runs of the season during yesterday’s 17-1 rout of the Chicago Cubs. Murphy downplayed the significance of getting off the long-ball schneid. “It’s a relief to help the team win,” Murphy said. “Other than that, if we win ballgames, and we make the playoffs, I don’t need to hit another one all year.”
- 1B Ike Davis has 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 13 RBI in his last 10 games.
- OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis is working with hitting coach Dave Hudgens in an effort to break out of his recent slump. Kirk is 3 for his last 26.
- On Wednesday, 4 Mets (David Wright, Davis, Murphy, and Scott Hairston) drove in at least four runs Wednesday, the fourth time a team has done that since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Thursday, 10:10 PM EDT: Chris Young (1-1, 3.42 ERA) vs. former Met, Chris Capuano (9-2, 2.60 ERA)
Friday, 10:10 PM EDT: R.A. Dickey (11-1, 2.31 ERA) vs. Aaron Harang (5-4, 3.81 ERA)
Saturday, 7:15 PM EDT: Johan Santana (5-4, 3.00 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (0-4, 4.04 ERA)
Sunday, 8:00 PM EDT: Dillon Gee (5-6, 4.42 ERA) vs. Clayton Kershaw (5-4, 2.74 ERA)
About the Author
Paul is a freelance writer, blogger, and broadcast technology professional residing in Denver. A New Jersey native, he is a long-suffering Mets fan, a recently-happy Giants fan, and bewildered Islanders fan. He's also a fair-weather Avalanche and Rockies supporter. In his spare time, he enjoys the three Gs: Golf, Guitars, and Games.
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